In the dynamic field of journalism and media, internships are a necessary gateway into the industry. A productive internship, whether at a local newspaper or a national media company, can lead to valuable connections and, for the most successful interns, a full-time job offer.

“Who am I to be explaining these concepts that people have been ... studying forever? And then I realized journalism was more about channeling experts than it was about being the experts. I think you can take that philosophy ... and apply that to learning code.”

Chas Hundley’s family first settled in the unincorporated town of Gales Creek, Oregon, (pop. less than 600) in 1883. A fifth-generation resident of Gales Creek, the 22-year-old grew up in the foothills of the Coast Range, where he still lives today.

When Hundley was a teenager, Gales Creek hit some hard times. It lost its post office and its tavern and its elementary school all within the span of about a year. So Hundley did what anyone would do who wanted to save his town: he started a news website.

“I started to think about what it would be like to not live in survival mode and what it meant like to really live...I’m gonna take this huge risk and see what happens.”

Throughout her career, Hannah Bae built her own safety nets to take risks throughout her career: first by moving to Seoul straight from college, to navigating press relations in Korean government, and most recently, by quitting a cushy job at CNN Money to pursue freelance writing and illustration. Poynter spoke to Bae about the decision to write a new chapter of her professional and personal life.

“Why would this news anchor from a major market quit his job to drive Lyft? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Anthony Ponce realizes how it looks to fellow journalists. Ten years into his career as an anchor for NBC Chicago and four months after his son was born, he decided to quit his successful anchor and reporter job at NBC Chicago and embark on his own journey.